A few months ago I was going thru my pen collection flushing pens with water and got to thinking, “Hmmm, I haven’t used this pen in a while, or that one, or that one!”  This went on for a while and I realized there was a small group of pens that I had been using while the rest of the collection sat in the pen cabinet.  Then I started to feel bad for those pens.  It was at that moment I decided to create a pen rotation.  It’s really very straight forward.  I carry 2-4  pens with me at given time so I go thru the drawers of the pen cabinet selecting different types of pens.  I use them for 1 -2 weeks, flush them out and select again.  The experience has reminded me of why I enjoy collecting vintage fountain pens and the pleasure I get from writing with them!
Happy Collecting!

With a summer full of pen shows I got to thinking about how you can get the most out of a pen show.  A fair amount has been written on this subject so this is my approach.  Here are the things I think about:
1. Check the show website for the vendor list.  Hopefully there will be some familiar faces as well as new folks to meet. 
2. Think about what you are looking for at the show, whether it’s a specific pen you would like to add to your collection or perhaps you are starting a new collection.  Shows offer a variety of ink and other pen accessories as well.
3. Set a budget.  Like any hobby, it’s easy to get carried away so set a limit on how much you want to spend.  Bring cash as some vendors are not set up to accept credit cards.
4. Once you arrive take stock in all of the exhibits and vendors.  It’s easy to spot something of interest at the first table and there goes your budget, so take the time to survey the show floor.  Often times there are folks who do repairs and nib adjustment so bring along something that needs repair.
5. Have fun!  Pen shows are a great place to network and make new friends.                                                     
We look forward to seeing you at the Commonwealth Pen Show on September 10th at the Holiday Inn Bunker Hill in Somerville, MA.
Happy Collecting!

After a typical winter and a cool wet spring in the northeast part of the United States summer is finally here!   Long warm days with lots of sunshine make me yearn for a trip.  Whether it’s a road trip or a flight to faraway places, summer means vacation.  If you are like me that means packing pens, ink and a nice fountain pen friendly journal.  That got me thinking – do you look for pens while on vacation?  Once my wife and I decide where we are going, I scour the internet looking for pen shops in and around our destination.  Sadly, we’ve noticed a number of pens shops have closed recently.  For example, Paradise Pen was chain that had locations throughout the United States and now they are all gone.  Whenever we go to London I go to Penfriend and earlier this year they announced that they closed their stores and will conduct business only on-line.  In addition to the dedicated pen shops we have been seeking out antique shops which can be a great source of vintage pens and accessories.  So, for those of you who do look for pens while on vacation – where do you look for your treasures?  We would love to hear from you!
Happy Summer and Happy Collecting!
(Photo courtesy of the Fountain Pen Network.)

Green beer, green bagels and green pens?  I can do without the green beer and what flavor is a green bagel anyway?  Now, a green pen peaks my interest.   I went into my home office and began going thru the drawers of my pen cabinet and found that I have a number of green pens.  There is a Parker Vacumatic , a Parker Slimfold, a Parker Duofold Junior, a Moore Fingertip, an Esterbrook J series, a Recife, a Sheaffer Snorkel (love the Snorkel), a Sheaffer Lifetime Flat Top and a Sheaffer Lifetime Balance.  Not pictured is a Parker 51 Nassau Green fountain pen and pencil set and no, it’s not for sale!  So instead of green ice cream I think I will have some corned beef and cabbage while I pen some notes with one of my green pens.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Happy Collecting!

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching I started to think – instead of giving your loved one a box of chocolates why not give a red fountain pen?  And then that got me thinking – what red fountain pens do I have in my collection?  Quite a few actually.  I know the Parker Duofold Big Red looks orange but I am counting in the red group.  There is a red Parker 61 with a lustraloy cap and one with a gold cap.  There’s a Parker English Duofold, a Parker 21, a Parker Eversharp, a Sheaffer Snorkel, a Sheaffer Triumph, an Esterbrook J series, a Conway Stewart, a Sailor, a vintage Mont Blanc and Mont Blanc 145.  Oh, and a red Parker Vacumatic.  Now you might think I have a thing for red fountain pens!  Well, you are right!  By the way, does anyone have a UK made blood red Parker 51 for sale?  If so, give me a shout!
Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Collecting!

What pens and/or pen paraphernalia did Santa leave in your stocking this past Christmas?  Did you treat yourself to something this holiday season?  I am curious.    The month of December is a busy one for us with a trip to New York City to check out the lights and decorations.  OK, my ulterior motive is to visit the Fountain Pen Hospital which is located downtown not too far from city hall.  They have a lovely selection of vintage pens and it’s always exciting to pour over the case!  I picked up a Parker Duofold Junior in jade green which is a wonderful writer!  My birthday is also in December and my wife gave me a beautiful Parker permanite, another great writer.  On Christmas morning there were 2 small boxes under the tree with my name on them.  One box contained an aerometric Parker 51 in teal and the other a Wahl Eversharp Skyline in navy blue.  Wow!  Santa, aka my wife, was generous!  Now, if you add in a couple of vintage Sheaffer sets I bought from Gary Lehrer when his December catalogue came out – it was quite a month!  Enough about what I received and/or bought – what did you acquire over the holidays?  Please share.
Happy Collecting!

A week ago I attended a meeting of our local pen club.  We all brought a variety of pens and swapped stories about finding, restoring and collecting vintage fountain pens.  It was a fun meeting and I enjoy sharing my passion with like minded people.  Last night, my wife and I had dinner at a cozy restaurant in Salem, MA.  The young waiter approached and after a brief exchange of pleasantries he asked, “Is that a Pelikan M200 and an Esterbrook J series in your pocket?”  I broke out in a wide grin and a conversation about pens began.  He was carrying, and taking orders with, a beautiful Delta Dolcevita.  Clearly he was invigorated by the conversation and told me he wanted to add to his pen collection.  We placed our order and no sooner had he walked away when the woman at the next table leaned over and said, “I couldn’t help over hearing your conversation.”  She told us she was an architect and was always looking for pens.  Furthermore, she told us her niece liked writing with fountain pens.  It was pleasant and an unexpected surprise to have these conversations in a restaurant while eating delicious Italian food.  I expect to have these conversations with my fellow pen aficionados at pen shows and club meetings.  It delights me to realize that there is a whole world out there of pen lovers just like me who appreciate fine writing instruments.  Based on this experience I can truly appreciate the attraction of pen collecting and how it permeates all walks of life.  This taught me to be on the look out for pen people in places other than pens shows and meetings.  Who knows – your next conversation about pens might be in the supermarket, an airport or a gas station!
Happy Collecting!

Some years ago when someone graduated from college or got a promotion at work, a wonderful gift to celebrate those occasions was a fountain pen and pencil set.  In the 1930s it might have been a Parker Vacumatic set, in the 1940s a Waterman Taperite set and in the 1950s it might have been a Sheaffer Snorkel set.  Fast forward to the 1970s and 1980s and it was probably a Cross ballpoint pen and pencil set.  While much is written about the pens, the pencils are sometimes forgotten.  That’s too bad because the vintage pencils are just as decorative and interesting as their counterparts.  There are practical uses for those pencils as well.  Draftsmen, architects and mathematicians use pencils routinely.  To an artist a pencil is an invaluable tool.  There are some mechanical pencils which are collectible on their own such as the Norma multi color pencil.  Norma was in business from the 1930s to the 1960s (as far as I can tell) in New York City and I am lucky to have one of their models which has 4 different color leads.  If you would like more info on the Norma pencil please visit Roger Russell’s Norma Pencil Page at
http://www.roger-russell.com/normapg.htm.
Another great source of information is Jonathan A. Veley and his website at
http://www.jonathanveley.com/
I bought a copy of one of his books titled, The Catalogue of American Mechanical Pencils which is an excellent resource.  With regards to modern mechanical pencils, go into any pen shop, stationery store or even the big box stationary stores and you will find mechanical pencils galore.  Oh, I would be remiss if I didn’t end the post by saying I would welcome a mechanical pencil or a pen and pencil set as a gift any day!
Happy Collecting!

As I look thru my collection of vintage fountain pens I see a variety of different filling mechanisms.  There are plenty of sources of information on filling mechanisms and I thought it would be more fun to describe some pens and their associated filling mechanisms.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, but a sampling.  (In all cases be sure to gently wipe the nib with a soft cloth or tissue after filling.) 

Parker Duofold – this pen has a button fill.  To fill, remove the blind cap, place the nib and half the section into the ink.  Press the button, release and wait about 5 seconds.  Remove the pen from the ink and replace the blind cap.  Very simple and straight forward.

Sheaffer Defender 500 – this pen has a lever fill.  Lift the lever until it stops, place the nib and half the section into the ink.  Release the lever slowly and wait about 5 seconds.  Remove the pen from the ink.  The lever fill was one of the more common filling mechanisms and is found a on a variety of vintage fountain pens.

Parker Vacumatic and Parker 51 Vacumatic – these pens have vacumatic fill mechanism.  Remove the blind cap, place the nib and half the section into the ink.  Press the button 8-10 times pausing about a second between each press of the button.  Remove the pen from the ink and replace the blind cap.  Once again, very simple and straight forward.

Parker 51 Aerometric – these pens have an aerometric fill mechanism.  Remove the barrel from where it screws on to the section and place the nib and half of the section into the ink.  Press the bar 4-6 times pausing about a second between each press of the bar.  Remove the pen from the ink and replace the barrel.

Sheaffer Touchdown and Vacumatic – in both cases unscrew the blind cap and pull the plunger out.  Place the nib and half the section into the ink, then push the blind cap and plunger down.  Leave the nib in the ink for about 5 seconds then tighten the blind cap.  Remove the pen from the ink. The Touchdown has a fairly wide plunger whereas the vacumatic has a narrow plunger.  Also, I have noticed that the Sheaffer Vacumatics offer a fair amount of resistance when you push down on the blind cap and that is normal. 

Sheaffer Snorkel – this is one of the more interesting ones!  Unscrew the blind cap and pull out the plunger.  This causes the filler tube to extend out of the feed.  Dip only the filler tube into the ink, push the blind cap and plunger down, wait about 5 seconds and then tighten the blind cap.  When you tighten the blind cap the filler tube should go back into the feed. 

Montblanc Monte Rosa – this pen has a piston filler mechanism.  Turn the knob at the end of the barrel clockwise until it stops.  Place the nib and half the section into the ink.  Turn the knob counterclockwise until it stops.  Remove the pen from the ink.

Happy collecting!

Of all of the functional parts of a fountain pen one could say the nib is the most important one.  Why – because it is the nib that touches the paper thus effecting the written product.  We have many choices when it comes to nibs in both vintage and modern fountain pens.  Nibs come in different shapes and sizes such as the hooded nib of the Parker 51 or the cylindrical shape of the Triumph nib produced by Sheaffer.  The tip of the nib can range in size from extra fine to broad.  This allows us the ability to put down lines of different thicknesses.  Additionally there are choices of stub or calligraphy nibs and nibs for fountain pen aficionados that are left handed.  Nibs come in a variety of different materials.  Gold, perhaps the most popular choice, allows a bit of flexibility.  Stainless steel is less expensive and more stiff than gold.  There are also some nibs made of alloys.  For example the Octanium nib found on the Parker 51 Special and Parker 21 was introduced to lower the overall cost of the pen.  I have pens with all of these various nib materials and enjoy writing with each one.  One thing I do not have much experience with is flexible nibs.  Flexible nibs allow the user to vary line width as you write.  Essentially the tines of the nib spread as you apply a bit of pressure.  So, as you can see, nibs come in a variety of shapes, sizes, materials and flexibility.  There is a very nice summary of how to choose a fountain pen nib on jetpens.com so please check it out.
Happy collecting!